The image quality of images generated by a digital still camera (DSC), digital video camera (DVC) or the like can be freely adjusted using an image retouching application on a personal computer. Such an image retouching application generally includes an image adjustment function by which the image quality of the image data is automatically adjusted, and if this image adjustment function is used, the image quality of the image data output from an output apparatus can be improved. Known examples of an image file output apparatus include a CRT, an LCD, a printer, a projector, and a television receiver.
A function to automatically adjust the image quality of image data is also included in a printer driver that controls the operation of a printer functioning as one type of output apparatus, and the image quality of printed image data can be improved using such a printer driver as well.
However, the automatic image quality adjustment function provided by the image retouching application or printer driver performs image correction using image data having standard image characteristics. By contrast, because image data that is to undergo image processing can be generated under various different conditions, in some cases the image quality cannot be improved by executing a same given automatic image quality adjusting function.
For example, where an image such as a landscape or a commemorative photograph is to be output, it is desired that a sharp image in which all components, from the foreground to the background, are in focus. Accordingly, image data is often generated with a small aperture setting (i.e., with the aperture value set to a large value), and with the operation mode, such as the exposure adjustment mode, set to either a manual mode or an aperture priority mode in which a user-specified aperture value is given priority. However, where image quality correction based on a standard image data having general image quality characteristics is performed to this type of image data, sufficient sharpness is sometimes unobtainable. Furthermore, this problem is not limited to DSC's, and can occur in a DVC or other type of image data generating device.
The present invention is made in order to resolve the problem identified above, and an object of the present invention is to automatically carry out proper image quality adjustment for each individual image data.